St. Stephen Presbyterian Day School terminated Lauren Ferguson as director on Oct. 29.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ferguson led the school since 2019. She was a crisis counselor in the Birdville school district for eight years before joining the day school, according to her bio on the school website that is now removed.<\/p>\n
Ferguson was expected to step down from her position in May 2026, according to church leadership meeting notes from an Oct. 5 meeting that were shared with the Report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ferguson did not respond to the Report\u2019s request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marcie Ellen Duplantis, director of Christian formation for the church and oversees the director, sent an email Oct. 29 notifying parents that Ferguson would \u201cno longer be serving as the Director of our Day School.\u201d Duplantis wrote she would oversee operations in the interim.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease know that this transition will not impact your child\u2019s classroom experience or the loving environment our teachers provide each day,\u201d Duplantis wrote in the Oct. 29 email that was later shared with the Report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some parents received the email and others \u2014 like Ramirez \u2014 didn\u2019t. She and other parents aren\u2019t sure why. School officials later apologized to families noting that they used the most updated email list they had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, two teachers resigned from the school. One of them was Sonia Behrens, a \u201cBumblebee\u201d teacher who worked with 1 and 2 year olds and taught at the school for 22 years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ferguson was a parent volunteer at the school before she became its director.<\/p>\n
Over the years, parents continued to choose the school because of the trust and tight knit culture fostered by the teachers and Ferguson, Behrens said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behrens didn\u2019t elaborate on why she resigned other than to say she did so with \u201cgreat consideration\u201d of the children who would be impacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI did what I felt was the right thing to do, and sometimes it is harder to do the right thing than the wrong thing,\u201d Behrens said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Samantha Reece had her third child in the day school program and looked forward to her youngest experiencing the same traditions, receiving a memory book of photos as she grew up in the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really sad that all of that was taken away from our children, all of that was taken away from the parents,\u201d Reece said.<\/p>\n
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St. Stephen Presbyterian Church on Nov. 7, 2025. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Parents voice concern, frustration with leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n The governing body of the church, called the Session, said the Day School Board was to meet with parents on Nov. 2 but then sent a message canceling \u201cdue to the immediate resignation of a significant number\u201d of day school teachers, according to an email that was shared with the Report.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, the Session of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church has chosen to suspend operations of the Day School immediately. This suspension is for an indefinite period,\u201d the email read, adding that tuition payments made for November would be refunded.\u00a0<\/p>\n The school had capacity for 10 teachers and up to 57 students, according to the school\u2019s parent handbook. The program had five classes ranging from its \u201cRoly Poly Room\u201d for infants to its \u201cBumblebee\u201d class for 1 year olds to the \u201cFirefly\u201d group for 4 and 5 year olds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some parents spoke with several church board members, according to a recording of the meeting shared with the Report.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the hour-and-a-half meeting, parents made it clear that they were not there to blame the teachers for resigning, according to the recording. Instead, they voiced their frustration with leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents asked why Ferguson was terminated and whether the process violated any bylaws or procedures in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bill Curtis, moderator for the church\u2019s personnel committee who introduced himself in the meeting, is heard on the recording telling parents he couldn\u2019t get into the specifics of the matter but Ferguson\u2019s termination did not involve the safety of the children or anything illegal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Curtis did not respond to the Report\u2019s request for comment. Duplantis and the Rev. Elizabeth Callender of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church were not present at the Nov. 2 meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents restart enrollment process elsewhere<\/strong><\/p>\n The Report reached out to Callender and Duplantis for clarification on why the school let go of Ferguson and future plans for the school.<\/p>\n Callender shared a statement with the Report Nov. 6 written by the governing body of the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Session wrote it extends \u201cdeep compassion and gratitude to all who contributed to the success and spirit of our Day School over the years.\u201d The statement added that it \u201caffirms and supports\u201d Duplantis for her \u201cdedication and integrity throughout this difficult process, as well as all church staff for their love and care for the children and families they have faithfully served.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Jessica Rhodes\u2019 daughter had been going to day school for two years. Looking at her memory book, she pointed at photos of her friends and told her mom she missed them, Rhodes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt just breaks my heart, because I\u2019m like, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re going to get to see them again,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Families are scrambling to find a new preschool for their children.<\/p>\n \u201cParents put so much time into researching schools and touring schools and making choices about where they\u2019re going to go,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cWe don\u2019t do that in four days\u2019 time. We do that over the course of months because many people work, and they don\u2019t have the luxury of time to do that kind of research again.\u201d Editor\u2019s note: Bill Curtis is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. Janna Franzwa Canard is a copy editor for the Fort Worth Report and former assistant director and teacher at St. Stephen Presbyterian Day School. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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